In the storage and shipping industry, it is often desirable to provide a container, such as a box, to enclose the goods being handled. Such a container is often used to protect the goods from weather or the like, and also facilitates the handling of the goods. This is especially important in the storage and shipment of bulk goods, such as resins, grains or other granular products.
One type of container includes a cardboard frame which is folded for shipment and which may be opened into the shape of a box. The frame is lined with a plastic bag or sheeting or the like, and a bulk product is placed therein. The bag may be tied closed, and a cover placed over the box. A pallet may be used as a load bearing platform for the frame.
While such cardboard frames are relatively simple to use, they have proven to be deficient for a number of reasons. For example, a cardboard frame has a limited useful life in that it provides little if any weathering protection. Also, such frames are often subject to failure when one or more other such frames are stacked thereon, because cardboard does not always provide sufficient strength for stacking purposes. Because of these drawbacks, cardboard frames have a relatively short service life, after which they are discarded.
When shipping a number of storage containers to a particular location, it is desirable that the containers take up as little room as possible, to save on storage and shipping costs associated therewith. Cardboard frames that can be folded to a relatively flat sheet will accomplish this object, but they still suffer from the drawbacks discussed hereinabove.
A need exists therefore, for a collapsible storage and shipping container. The container should be relatively weather-resistant, and should be strong enough to permit stacking of like containers thereon.